Liquid and gas contacting apparatus



Nov. 24, 1936. J; A. CAMPBELL 4 LIQUID AND GAS CONTACTING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 5, 1935 www l Iig, 5

' Invenlvr Julian/ Campbell.

v 55 posing opening of the valves is substantiallythe successive plates in intimate contact with 'thet Patented Nov. 24, 1936 w .l

aas coarras'rinesv arra'rns ,ln A. Campbell, Leng Beach, CE.

Application August 5, 1935, Serial No. M36? 'z claims. (ci. 2er- 113) The invention deals broadly with liquid and same for each valve, it is impractical, if not img'as contacting apparatus of the perforated plate possible, to make the valves of exactly the same type, in which arising stream of gas or vapors size and weight, and hence maintain exactly the is jetted into bodies of liquid on a series of plates same resistance to opening for each valve.

or trays, through closely spaced plate apertures. In accordance with the invention', these ob- 5 Included in this general class of apparatus are I jectionable characteristics of check valves hereabscrbers, stills, rectifiers, dephlegmators, vstabitofore used in the present type of apparatus, have lizers and the like. With this understanding, beenentirely overcome by at all times maintainthe invention will be hereinafter described typiing a substantially annular clearance between cally as applied to absorbers for recovering coneach distributor and the edge of its respective 10 densible constituents of natural gas. The presaperture, or in other words by preventing the ent application is a continuation-impart of my distributor from fully seating. The result is that application, Ser. No. 754,800, filed Nov. 26, l1934 even in their lowermost positions, the distribuon Liquid and gas contacting apparatus. tors will permit upward passage of gas through It is a general object of the invention 'to prothe plate apertures, whereby Vas when the ab- 15 vide in conjunction with the plate apertures, sorber is started into operation, the oil surface individual gas distributors acting to disperse the tension that would yotherwise tend to keep the gas stream leaving the orice, laterally above distributors closed, is overcome by the gas streams the surface of the plate and in a laterally upthemselves. Since it is possible to maintain a ward direction through. the oil body. closely uniform clearance between each distrib- 20 In the preferred form of the invention, the inutor and the edge of its respective plate aperture, dividual distributors associated with the plate there is established a condition of uniform gasi apertures, consist of elements movable vertiow through the apertures and uniform districally in the plate apertures but retained against bution 0f gas thrOushOut the area 0f the plate.

removal therefrom. Heretofore it has been pro- The above mentioned, as well as various ad- 25 posed to provide in each of the plate apertures, a ditional features and objects of the invention will check valve which seats against the top surface be understood to best advantage from the -folof the plate to prevent liquid drainage through lowing detailed description of an absorber emthe aperture when the gas pressure beneath the bodying the invention in one of its typical plate drops to such an extent that the gas velocforms. Reference is had throughout the dc- 30 ity through the apertures will not preventliquid scription to the accompanying drawing, in which: drainage. In normal operation, the valves are Fig. 1 is a view, partly in section, showir'S/a raised by the gas velocity, and the gas, as inthe typical form of absorber; present apparatus, rises through the apertures Fis. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view shewand is deflected by the head of the valve laterally ing the arrangement of down lpipes and froth .35`

into the oil body standing on the plate. Experibreaking pans on the plates; ments and tests in practical operation have dem- Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlargement showonstrated that check valves which seat to close ing one of the plate ,aperture distributors in the plate apertures as above explained, give rise seated position; d

40 to certain difliculties that at least in many cases Fig. 4 shows the distributcrin section and in 40 renders them undesirable, if not entirely iinraised position; and practical. 'I'he reason is that, for example, when Fig. 5 is a plan view of the distributor.

, the absorber is started into operation with the InFig. 1, I have shown an absorber comprising y valves initially seated and closing the plate aperx a vertically extending shell I0 having a gas inlet il tures, the relatively high surface tension of the' and an outlet l2 at (the tcp. The shell contains 45 loil tends to hold the valves closed, and to prea lseries of perforated :plates i3 having closely vent all the valves from opening simultaneously spaced apertures 'il throughv which the gas passes and to exactly the same extent, with the result upwardly to the outlet i2. Whereas inv actual that it is impossible to maintain a condition of practice the absorber will include someform of uniform gas flow and distribution across the plate supports and usually packing between the 50 y entire plate area. The inability of the valves plates and the shell, these need not be illustrated to open simultaneouslyand to exactly the same since they comprise no part of the invention. The extent seems to be due to the fact that notwithlean absorption oil fed onto the uppermost plate standing that the surface tension oi' the oil op- I3a through an inlet pipe 2l, iiows down over the rising stream of-gas, and finally accmnulates in a body I5 within the base of the absorber. 'I'he i fat absorption oil is discharged through outlet pipes I8.

line I6 under control of float operated valve mechanism I1, by means of which the oil body Il is maintained at substantially constant level L.

The gas is jetted up through the small plate apertures I4 into the oil on the plates at such high velocity as to agitate the oil into-bodies of froth which build up directly from the top surfaces of the plates. From each plate the oil is delivered to the plate next below through down The frothing action is promoted by spreader cones I9, mounted on the lower ends of the down pipes, which divert the oil radially in' thin films or layers over the surfaces of the plates. 'Ihe gasjetted up through the apertures traverses the oil thus being spread over the surface of the plate, at such high velocity as to transform the oil substantially completely into a mass of froth. The froth builds up to the top of pans 2li carried on the upper ends of down pipes I8, and iscontinuously broken by sharp pan edges 2I which rupture the froth bubbles and release the oil into the pans. The oil then drains down throughthe plate onto theone next below, and the described froth building and breaking operation continues on down through the absorber. The lowermost down pipes Ilia terminate below the level L of the oil bodies I5, in order to seal the pipes against the entry of gas being introduced through inlet I I.

Each of the plate apertures I4 contains an element, generally indicated at 22, to which I have previously referred generally as a gas distributor overlying the aperture. Each distributor 22 comprises a stem 23 of smaller diameter than thel aperture I4, and a downwardly tapered head 24 which seats on the upper edge of the aperture. The detalls of the distributor are best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 wherein, for purposes of illustration, it is shown in considerably larger proportions than its actual normal size. The distributor preferably will be made of a suitable light metal, and may conveniently be formed as a die casting. small irregularities or burs 25, see Fig. 5, which may be formed on the head 24 when the distributors are made by die "casting, and allowed to remain because of the added. advantage these sharp points give in securing a ilne state of divi sion and distribution of the gas within the oil on the plate. A bore 26 is drilled into the stem of the distributor for the purpose of making it desirably light in weight. and as a means of adjusting the weight to a nicety. Any suitable means may be used for preventing the distributors from lifting out of the apertures. As a simple expedient, I slot the lower end of the stem at 28, and after the distributor is inserted in the aperture I4, expand the prongs 23a beyond the aperture diameter.

A plurality of radially extending ribs 24a are formed on the head 24, the typical form illustrated having four ribs although a different number may be provided. As shown in Fig. 3, when the distributor is in its lowermost position, ribs 24a seat on the upper edge of the aperture I4,

leaving a substantially annular (except for the width of the ribs) narrow gas passing clearancev between the tapered head 24 and the top surface of plate I3. ,Where the distributor is used in conjunction with a plate aperture of the usual diameter, say around 1%", the thickness of ribs 24a will be less than preferably nearer so that the gas passing clearance spaces between the ribs will be'sumciently restricted to cause the gas to spread radially outward into the oil body in thin high velocity streams.

During normal operation of the absorber, the y The gas rising through clearance space 29 impinges against the annular tapered surface of the head 24 and is deilectedradially from the .aperture in a thin, high velocity stream flowing in close proximity to the surface of the plate. Although ribs 24a may remain substantially seated on the upper edge of the plate aperture, the distributors have a vibratory movement in a lateral direction so' that they act eilectively to dislodge and removeparticles that might otherwise tend toaccumulate in and clog the apertures. This feature is of considerable importance in that where the gas carries a considerable amount of tarry bodies, it frequently becomes necessary to shut down and clean the absorber because of inability to prevent these particles from clogging the plate apertures.

With the plate apertures closely spaced, and with the gas being spread radially in thln,-high velocity streams from each aperture due to the baming effect produced by the tapered distributor heads, there is a constant interference between the gas streams projected from adjacent apertures. The result is that the oil body is maintained in a state of violent agitation, the interfering gas streams causing the oil to' form into an extremely fine froth which greatly increases the intimacy of contact between the gas and oil and accordingly the absorption eiliciency.

As previously mentioned, the presence of ribs 24a overcomes the previously encountered dimculty where valves have been used to entirely close the plate apertures I4, by insuring that all the distributors will be caused to open, and to open to the same extent, with their controlled orifices uniformly brought into operation. Here the flow of gas is permitted past the distributors when the latter are in their seated positions, and since the thickness of the ribs is consistently uniform as toall the distributors, a uniform distribution of gas is maintained throughout theunder normal operation has the important advantage of preventing oil drainage through the apcrturessuch as frequently occurs in the usual perforated plaie type absorber, with resultant disturbance in the proper oil compositions and levels on the several plates. and loss in efficiency in entire absorption operation. In accordance with the invention. the presence oi' the distributor elements in the perforations so increases the gas velocity (by virtue of the decreased effective area of the perfor-ations) as to obviate these dimculties experienced in the past, and preclude the possibility of oil drainage or down flow except by way of the overflow pipes. v

I claim:

1. In oil and gas contacting apparatus of the character described, a horizontal plate having closely spaced fluid passing apertures, individual vertically movable distributor elements extending downwardly within said apertures, and means limiting downward movement of4 said elements so that in its lowermostposition, each element has a substantially annular clearance from the edge of its respective aperture.

2. In oil and gas contacting apparatus of the character described, a horizontal plate having closely spaced fluid passing apertures, and individual vertically movable distributorelements associated with said apertures and extending downv'ardly therethrough, each of said elements comprising a head seating on the plate at circularly spaced points, 'and a reduced diameter shank extending through and having annular clearance within a plate aperture, there being narrow gas passing spaces between the points at which said element seats on said plate.

`3. In oil and gas contacting apparatus of the character described, a horizontal plate having closely spaced fluid passing apertures, and indif vidual vertically movable distributor elements associated with said apertures and extending downwardly therethrough, each of said elements comprising a downwardly tapered head with integral circularly spaced projections on its under surface which seat on the plate, and a reduced diameter shank extending through and having annular clearance within a plate aperture, there being narrow gas passing spaces between-the points of engagement between said projections and the plate.

4. In oil and gas contacting apparatus, the

combination comprising, a perforated plate adapted to support a body of oil, a vertically movable distributor element inserted in a plate aperture, said element comprising a head tapering toward a reduced diameter shank, and circularly spaced ribs on said tapered portion of the head and engaging said plate, there being nar'- row spaces between said ribs and through which gas is discharged into said body of oil while said ribs are in engagement with said plate.

5,. 'In oil and gas contacting apparatus, the combination comprising, a perforated plate adapted to support a body of oil, a vertically movable distributor element, inserted in a plate aper-A ture, said element comprising a head tapering toward a reduced diameter shank which extends through said aperture,y and circularly spaced ribs on said tapered portion of the head and engaging the plate, there being narrow spaces between said ribs and through which gas is discharged into said body of oil while said ribs are in engagement with said plate, and there being a bore extending longitudinally through said head into the shank.

6. In oil and gas contacting apparatus, the combination comprising, -a perforated plate adapted to support a body of oil, a vertically movable distributor element inserted in a plate aperture,`said element comprising a head Ahaving a taperedportion extending toward a reduced diameter shank, and circularly spaced ribs on said tapered portion of the head and seating on said plate, said shank Abeing slotted longitudinally from its end opposite said head and the slotted portion spread to arrest upward movement of said element by engagement with the plate.

'1. In oil and gas contacting apparatus, `the combination comprising, a perforated plate adapted to support a body of oil, a vertically movable distributor element inserted in a plate aper ture, vsaid element comprising a. head and an integral reduced diameter shank extending through said aperture, the peripheral edge of said head being irregular and presenting sharp points, and circularly spaced projections on the under side of said head and seating on the plate.

- JULIAN A. CAMPBELL. 

